Wash & cleanse

Find a washing method for loose hair, sections, braids, twists or mature locs.

14 guides · Free to read

Choose your starting point

Start with how you wear your hair. Scalp shampooing, washing in sections and washing an installed style address different handling needs. If you use a cleansing conditioner, choose its dedicated guide and follow its label.

Compare the methods

Explore the methods below. Open a guide for when to use it, what you’ll need and the full steps.

Clean hands separate rinsed roots to check for visible oil or styling residue before a second pass.

8–15 min hands-on

Double-cleanse in one wash

A double cleanse is two complete shampoo-and-rinse passes during one wash, with the second used only when needed and label-permitted.

One hand rinses conditioner from the lengths before finger pads shampoo the scalp.

7–12 min hands-on

Protect lengths during a frequent wash

Pre-shampoo length conditioning applies rinse-out conditioner to the mids and ends, rinses it out, then cleanses the scalp with shampoo.

Both hands divide long wet hair loosely as water runs downward through the lengths.

1–3 min hands-on

Rinse shampoo and conditioner completely

Complete rinsing moves water systematically through roots, hidden areas, lengths and ends until an ordinary rinse-out shampoo or conditioner is gone.

A woman uses both hands to gently work shampoo at the back and sides of her scalp, with the lengths hanging loose.

3–6 min hands-on

Shampoo your scalp

Scalp-focused shampooing uses a rinse-out cleanser on the skin beneath your hair to remove oil and product residue.

Water lands on the back of the crown and runs downward through installed extension lengths while the head stays upright.

35–75 min hands-on

Wash and dry installed extensions

Installed-extension washing cleans the scalp and attached lengths without scrubbing bonds, then dries the attachment areas completely.

One hand supports conditioned lengths while the other finger-detangles gently from the ends upward.

10–25 min hands-on

Wash fragile over-processed hair with less friction

Low-friction washing cleans the scalp while minimizing rubbing, piling, twisting and pulling on fragile processed lengths.

A man in navy swim trunks gently works shampoo along his scalp with finger pads while holding adjacent mature locs.

15–30 min hands-on

Wash mature locs

Mature-loc washing uses a suitable rinse-out shampoo to cleanse the scalp and established locs without unravelling or combing them.

One hand guides basin water through the fringe while finger pads shampoo the small front section.

2–5 min hands-on

Wash only your fringe between full washes

Fringe-only washing isolates and cleans the small front section of hair over a basin while the remaining hair stays dry.

Gently distributing shampoo through loose wet hair.

6–12 min hands-on

Wash semi-permanent color gently

A normal clarifying wash can gradually reduce some semi-permanent pigments when the color maker permits it.

A woman uses the pads of her own fingers to work a low-lather cleansing conditioner over one wet scalp area.

5–10 min hands-on

Wash with a cleansing conditioner

Co-washing uses a product formulated as a cleansing conditioner to wash the wet scalp and hair while supplying conditioning ingredients.

One hand parts wet hair while the other lifts and places a flexible silicone brush lightly against the scalp.

4–8 min hands-on

Wash with a scalp-massaging brush

Scalp-brush shampooing uses a flexible silicone brush to distribute ordinary shampoo over reachable scalp areas with light contact.

Finger pads work hand-built shampoo-bar lather over the scalp while the bar rests on a draining dish.

4–7 min hands-on

Wash with a shampoo bar

Shampoo-bar washing uses a solid rinse-out cleanser to wash the scalp and hair.

A woman lifts one loose section and gently massages shampoo into its scalp area while other sections are clipped aside.

10–20 min hands-on

Wash your hair in sections

Section washing keeps loose hair in separate working areas so each part of the scalp can be cleansed and rinsed with the other hair held aside.

A woman in a navy swimsuit holds braids aside with one hand and gently applies lather along a scalp part with the other.

10–20 min hands-on

Wash your scalp while wearing braids or twists

Installed-style scalp washing cleans the exposed skin between braids or twists with rinse-out shampoo while keeping the style in place.